In a bad economy, WNED asks for fair share
It’s one of the disturbing facts of life for WNED-TV President Don Boswell: Local viewers watch PBS programs like “Sherlock Holmes” in prime time at about three times the national average, yet its membership rates are about 30 percent below the national average.
You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to realize that isn’t a good thing for Boswell and his Channel 17 staff.
During these tough economic times, the situation has led to pay cuts, a few layoffs and jobs going unfilled. To make matters worse, Channel 17 is losing midlevel underwriting sponsors such as banks, law firms, restaurants and any other industry caught in the economic tsunami.
To borrow a phrase from Nicholas Meyer’s novel about Holmes, there is a “Seven–Percent Solution”—but it won’t be easy to achieve.
Membership accounts for about 36 percent of the revenues of the only station in Buffalo that is owned locally. If the station raises its combined membership in Buffalo and Toronto from 3 percent of its dedicated viewership to the national average of 7 percent, Boswell estimates that will mean additional revenue of $4 million to $5 million. To try to reach that goal, the station added a pledge drive that started Saturday and will last through June 16.
“We’ve never done a June drive,” Boswell said in a recent interview over breakfast.
Of course, in these difficult times, it isn’t easy asking for money, especially in a community like Western New York where the dollars can be scarce.
Under Boswell’s leadership over the past 11 years, Channel 17 actually had lowered the amount of televised membership appeals. “We used to be one of the top three in fund drives, and it drove people crazy,” said Boswell. “Now we’re one of the lowest.”
The station also hasn’t had an auction for about four years. “We can’t get the merchandise,”
The fiscal year ends in June, which gives the pledge drive added importance. For the last few months, the station has run TOOP’s — or target of opportunity for pledges—for one or two days to raise money.
With a 20 percent New York State cutback resulting in lost revenue of $370,000 and the ranks of membership decreasing at a cost of close to $400,000, the June drive is needed even with senior staffers (including Boswell) taking 7.5 percent cutbacks, staff salaries reduced by 5 percent and some jobs going unfilled.
Boswell said the station now has 38,748 TV members — 24,198 from Canada and 14,550 from Buffalo — and has a goal to reach 50,000 members at a minimum of $36 by June 2010.
“We’re celebrating our 50th anniversary,” said Boswell. “We want 50,000 members by the end of June 2010. We think it is a doable goal.”
Getting viewership isn’t a problem. Boswell said Channel 17 is the second most-watched PBS affiliate in the country with the most popular programs including “Antiques Roadshow,” “Nature,” “Sherlock Holmes” and other Masterpiece Theater events and the Friday night movies.
During his tenure, Channel 17 also has ramped up its local and national productions. On Sept. 9, Donald Faison of “Scrubs” is the host of a national financial literacy program, “Your Life/Your Money,” that PBS plans to promote during the Television Critics Association press tour in late July.
Channel 17 also has separate programs for PBS in the works on “The War of 1812,” “Chautauqua” and “Elbert Hubbard: An American Original” on the Roycroft movement (which will be narrated by Liev Schreiber, with actor Adam Arkin serving as the voice of Hubbard). “Chautauqua” is expected to air in late 2010 or early 2011, “Hubbard” possibly in 2010.
However, economic conditions led to this year’s cancellation of The Guitar Festival and the dropping of a viewership survey about which Britcoms to buy.
“There wasn’t a need to do the survey because the number of choices had shrunk,” explained Boswell. “We didn’t think it was worth doing.”
If economic conditions worsen and the June drive isn’t the answer, the station might have to part with programs that attract some of its largest audiences, said Boswell.
The Mark Russell series of political comedy specials was a casualty a few years ago when Boswell said PBS decided it couldn’t afford to continue funding it and WNED couldn’t find sponsors to continue it.
“With Mark’s satire, it was hard for a corporation [to fund it],” said Boswell. “People would say: ‘I love that program, but I cannot have my bank behind it.’ Those are people we need to support the things we do.’ ”
Russell’s absence was especially troublesome during a potentially great year because the 2008 presidential campaign cried out for satire.
“We were thinking the same thing,” said Boswell. “We didn’t have the resources.”
Of course, it would help if a portion of the 95 percent of Western New Yorkers who watch the station but don’t give it any membership money would reconsider and chip in. At least, the Buffalo membership rate—5 percent—is higher than the 2 percent rate in Canada.
Boswell also notes that besides TV and radio programming, Channel 17 works with other nonprofits, people graduate with GED degrees from its facility and it provides the fourth floor of its building for technical teaching.
It also has a second channel, Think- Bright, which is expected to undergo some changes in January 2010.
Boswell said the plan is to program about 40 percent of the channel with health and wellness programming and change its title from ThinkBright to Think- Well.
By then he hopes membership support will make Channel 17 survive these economic times and improve its own financial health.
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